Carla Otero-Art Teacher

Kindergarten: Discovering Tempera Paint!

 

This school year, our Kindergarten students have been painting with tempera paint for almost all of their art projects. It is just a joy to see how they mix colors, how they choose different size of brushes, and how they discover all the possibilities that painting brings to them.

We are learning about the Elements of Art. We have covered lines and shapes.

I am so proud of their scenes with houses (rectangles, triangles, squares), flowers (circles and ovals), and "the big round Sun".

 For our next project we will be using oil pastels! I am sure we will have a blast! 

Landon, 4th Grade Student

Give Me My Life

Inspired by Graham Denton’s “Give Me Wings” which was studied during 4th grade Focus Poetry, Landon penned his personal, heartfelt sentiments about having the freedom to celebrate life on his own terms.  I am delighted to share his masterpiece, so others may dare to dream.  ~Deanna Krenek, 4th Grade Teacher

“Give Me My Life”

By Landon N.

There, let me outside and have my wings,

So I can see the world, feel the wind, see stuff,

So let me see my true life like you!

So let me look in the heavens and the ends of the earth.

Let me meet new friends like you did once.

So let me see true light, and you can come, too, if you like.

So if you can hear me, show me the world, everybody’s world!

Show them and me from stars up above, from earth below,

What it looks like!

So if you can lend me a wing or two,

So I can live my life! I want to live!

So show me a park or anything your heart desires,

Or show me my life,

So come here and give me the best two wings you’ve got.

So wait, what? You will give me wings? Really? Yes! Yeah!

Come fly with me, okay?

Now I see true life. It is now revealed.

Kindergarten Team

Building Strategic Readers in Kindergarten

This week our Kindergarten Cheetahs started learning about reading strategies.  

“A strategy helps us read,” says Rylie in Miss Gurney’s class. 

The first strategy we learned about is Eagle Eye. 

Kerah from Miss Fait’s class knows that, “Eagle Eye helps us look at the picture for clues.”  

The students learned that the picture can give lots of clues to what they words could be on the page.  Maci from Ms. Clark’s class shows below one the posters that she can refer to while she reads to help her remember!

These Cheetahs in Mrs. Scharr’s class are helping each other to use Eagle Eye when they buddy read together!

Miss Fait is wearing her reading tool belt and getting ready to use her Eagle Eyes!

In this video, Chase from Mrs. Yezak-McDonald’s class explains who Eagle Eye and how it helped him read his book!

Next week, the Kindergarten students will learn lots more strategies that will help them decode the words in a book! They are looking forward to it!

Erick, 4th Grade Student

Science Fun

Yesterday was awesome. There was a big Science experiment. We were melting things. The first thing was ice. The second was chocolate chips and the third was a glue stick. 

Fourth was gummy candies. Fifth was marshmallows and last was water.

It was AWESOME!

First we were melting them and waiting. The melting and waiting was 5 minutes. My favorite thing to melt was the marshmallows. They looked like milk.

It made me so excited that I couldn’t stop talking.

By: Erick 

1st Grade Team

1^st Grade Launching Parade

This past Friday all first graders participated on a celebratory parade around school. All first graders have worked so hard launching their Reader’s and Writer’s workshops. The last 3 weeks they’ve learned different ways to become “Super” Readers and Writers! Students created a sandwich board with their favorite book and their best writing. Students were so excited about this project.

“We had a parade because we did readers & writers workshop so good. It was fun! My favorite part was seeing my friend in 2^nd grade when we walked around the school.”  –Kenna (Maneri)

“This is so fun!”– Jonathan (Nguyen)

“I was so nervous Mrs. McCarthy but it was because I was excited!”- Wesley  (McCarthy)

All our “Super” first graders lined up to start their parade around 9:00. We walked all through the hallways of our school, Cimarron Elementary. Teacher and students lined up the hallways and cheered on our “super” first graders.

“My favorite part was when we got to drink apple juice!” -Benjamin  (Maneri)

“I felt so happy because I liked showing off my work. My favorite part was walking through the kindergarten hallway.” -Aiden (Maneri)

“This was the best day ever!” – Presley (Nguyen)

Following the parade, all first graders and first grade teachers gathered in the LGI for an apple juice toast. Each student received a cup of apple juice and Mrs. Plut gave a toast for this wonderful celebration. We all said “cheers!” to becoming super readers and writers,“cheers!” to an exciting year ahead; “cheers!” for our love of Reading and Writing!

The first graders finished the celebration by sitting with a friend and sharing their sandwich board and telling them all about their favorite book and best writing. 

Sanee Bell-Principal

Getting Gritty in 5th Grade

In addition to the content that must be taught during the school year, it is also important to teach and reinforce character, as well as social and emotional skills. When I visit classrooms, I frequently engage with students about what they are learning. During one of my visits to a 5th grade classroom, I spent a little time with a group of 5th grade students who were working together during a guided math activity. 

The students were instructed to work together to solve a couple of word problems. As the students began to read the task they had been given, I moved closer so that I could observe their approach. The group was comprised of three boys and two girls. Naturally, the boys sat on one side and the girls sat on another. From the start it looked as if the group was going to be split. However, one of the female students in the group stated that they were supposed to be working together to solve the problem. With some assistance from one of the boys in the group, the female student who restated the teacher's expectations received the necessary support and the group conversation began. 

The students struggled with their thinking. It would have been very easy for them to be passive in their learning by waiting for the teacher to tell them what to do. Instead, students began to try to solve the problem with the help from the other members in the group. They questioned one another's thinking, and they asked their peers to "explain themselves" when they began to offer a solution. The students never gave up. They grappled with the problem. They stuck with the problem. They worked together. They were gritty. 

I was so impressed with their level of commitment. These are the lessons that will remain with them forever. Building tomorrow today goes beyond the teaching and learning of content. Giving students the opportunity to work together to solve problems gives them the chance to life skills and to collaborate with their peers. Solving problems that do not yet exist, and working with others, are critical skills that are necessary in preparing students for their future. 

Before I left the classroom, I expressed to the group how impressed I was with their effort and determination. I asked each member of the group what they had learned from working together. 

Daniel: "A problem can be hard, but when you work together to get it accomplished it makes it easer."

Mia: "When you try different things, you get the right answer."

Jocelin: "Working together helped my thinking."

Roman: "Always check your work with someone else to see if you get the correct answer."

Get Connected

Through the use of social media tools, Cimarron Elementary is excited to tear down the walls of our school by showcasing the great things going in our classrooms. We want to invite you to follow us on our journey this year as we provide learning experiences that prepare our students to be future ready. We are celebrating 35 years of excellence at Cimarron, and to commemorate our anniversary, we are focused and committed to building tomorrow today. Join us! Your journey starts now!!